WILDOMAR: Budget workshop elicits suggested priorities

Some residents want city to focus on road maintenance, flood control

Improved road maintenance and flood control were among the
priorities on which Wildomar officials should focus the city's
limited budget in the upcoming fiscal year, said participants at a
budget workshop Thursday.

About a dozen residents and a half-dozen city officials attended
the workshop, led by finance director and Assistant City Manager
Gary Nordquist at City Hall.

Nearing the conclusion of its second year in existence June 30,
the city is operating on a much lower level of revenue than
expected when a fiscal analysis supporting the concept of
incorporation was done mid-decade.

The study envisioned the city having about $12 million in
revenue in its first year starting July 1, 2008, and steadily
rising to about $16 million over the next four years.

Instead, the recession is forcing the city to operate on less
than $10 million.

In the year starting July 1, the city probably will run on
somewhat less than the $9.3 million on which it operated this year,
according to Nordquist.

"We're at the bottom of the economic trough," he told the
audience. "Revenue is going to be flat for a couple of years and
then should go up."

Of the $9.3 million, the city has only about $2.2 million
available to pay for general government functions such as staffing,
community development, code enforcement and parks and recreation,
which means some cuts would have to be made in those areas to stay
within the budget, Nordquist said.

"We have a $200,000 problem and we are scrubbing those numbers
now to solve that problem," Nordquist said.

The workshop concluded with Nordquist seeking audience members'
feedback on their priorities for the city's spending and
suggestions for savings.

Whereas an earlier workshop had suggested the city's priority be
on providing more creative and performing arts opportunities, those
attending Thursday's workshop were more concerned with
infrastructure.

"I've been here for 65 years, and this is the worst I've seen
the roads," said one man, encouraging the city to focus more on
road maintenance.

The city also should try to get flooding and drainage problems
under greater control, participants said.

Bridges also said she believes that the city could save money by
cutting its spending on contract services and relying more on
expertise among residents willing to volunteer.

Nordquist said that's something the city could explore.

The city has only three full-time employees ---- City Manager
Frank Oviedo, City Clerk Debbie Lee and Nordquist ---- and relies
on contract help for all other work.

That approach has given the city more flexibility in meeting
needs than if it had its own employees with guaranteed full-time
salaries and benefits, though the extent of the workload might not
warrant full-time help, Nordquist said.

The feedback will be taken into consideration as the city's
staff fleshes out a full draft budget for the upcoming year in
anticipation of the council's review and possible adoption June
9.